Liverpool Team News: Klopp Confirms Double Fitness Boost + Coutinho Update

Liverpool will look to continue their recent good form when they take on Southampton at St Mary’s in the quarter-final of the Capital One Cup tomorrow night.

Ahead of the game, boss Jurgen Klopp has been speaking at his pre-match press conference today and has given Liverpoolfc.com a team news and injury update.

The Reds manager was pleased to confirm a double injury boost with Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson both showing no reaction having made their injury comebacks from the bench at the weekend.

Sturridge has once-again endured a frustrating injury-plagued campaign but made his first appearance under Klopp with a second half cameo during Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Swansea.

Henderson has been on the sidelines since undergoing surgery on a broken foot back in September but the Liverpool skipper also made his return against the Swans at Anfield.

Klopp has revealed that both players came through the game unscathed and while they won’t be considered from the start against Southampton tomorrow, they will be in the squad which travels to the South Coast.

The Reds boss told the clubs website:

“They have had no physical reaction. It’s good news and they did their job.

“That was good and important for us. They helped us keep the result, which was not easy – especially for Jordan in his position.

“Daniel did what we spoke about before, that he should be our target for winning balls, once we got the ball be an option, the first option. That’s what he did; everybody could see his quality in a few moments. It was good for us.

“Now the problem with the Southampton game is we cannot ignore that it could be extra-time. I’m sure 120 minutes would be too much for both.

“We don’t have to think about starting, we cannot go into a game and know we have to change these two players for sure. But if nothing happens from now until the plane has started, they’ll join us and be in the squad and we again have these two options.”

It was a huge boost for Liverpool to have Sturridge and Henderson back again at the weekend as both players have been sorely missed this season. It makes sense to ease them back into first team action but I expect they’ll continue to build their fitness with another appearance off the bench tomorrow night.

However, we’ll have to wait and see whether Philippe Coutinho is able to make the trip to St Mary’s as Klopp also confirmed that he’ll make a late decision on the Brazilian playmaker.

Coutinho missed last weeks Europa League win over Bordeaux and Sunday’s clash with Swansea after picking up a hamstring injury against Manchester City last month and it’s still touch-and-go whether he’ll be fit to face the Saints tomorrow.

Klopp continued:

“I cannot make decisions in this moment because we have another training [session] today.

“At the end, we have to talk about everything again with the medical department and talk to Phil. It will be close, possible, but we have to check and double check the situation and then we’ll make a decision. We have to wait.”

Liverpool head to the South Coast in excellent form having won six of their last seven games in all competitions so Klopp will be desperate to continue that run by securing their place in the last four of the Capital One Cup.